At the start of spring training, we posed 10 questions concerning the Blue Jays. Now, with just two weeks remaining until opening day on April 2, we look at what we know so far.

1. The Bullpen

On the plus side, the Jays look like they will open the season with a legit closer: Sergio Santos. Last season, he made just six appearances due to shoulder inflammation. Despite a minor setback that held him back for two weeks, Santos is back throwing in games and appears to be fine. The same cannot be said for Casey Janssen. He has yet to appear in a spring game and will likely remain in Dunedin at extended spring training for at least the first two series and then join the Jays in Detroit.The remainder of the bullpen should consist of LHP Darren Oliver, RHP Steve Delabar, RHP Esmil Rogers, LHP Aaron Loup, RHP Jeremy Jeffress and LHP Brett Cecil. When Janssen is ready, the Jays will face some tough decisions — whether to send out someone like Loup, who still has options, or place Cecil on waivers. One way or the other, the Jays will have lefty specialists and power right-handers in the back of the bullpen.

2. Maicer Izturis or Emilio Bonifacio at second base?

At the start of camp it appeared as if Izturis had the edge because he has put in more time at second than Bonifacio and is the better player defensively. Bonifacio didn’t help himself in the opening weeks when he made several throwing errors, but his defensive play has steadied of late. Bonifacio is the more dangerous hitter as he has more power and his speed is off the charts. Bonifacio can also play the outfield and he will see some duty there when manager John Gibbons wants to rest one of his regulars. The other day, Gibbons said they hadn’t made a decision one way or the other but suggested that both could split time at the position. That could be how they open up and it will then be up to Bonifacio to show that he can make the routine plays and turn the double play. If not, Izturis will see the bulk of the duty.

3. Is Jose Bautista ready to resume mashing?

You bet. Bautista has said the wrist is not an issue and that everything feels fine. He has shown that to be true. Although he is hitting just .229 (8-for-35) after 13 games, six of his hits have gone for extra bases — three doubles and three home runs. He is not favouring the wrist in any way and is holding nothing back. He looks good.

4. Can Adam Lind bounce back?

Lind is having a terrific camp as he is hitting .424 (14-for-33). He has three doubles and one home run, but that is about the norm. He has hit exactly one homer in the spring in five of his previous six seasons. The best part is that Lind fells he’s “in a good place right now.” He has worked hard with hitting coach Chad Mottola, who helped him so much last season when he was sent down to triple-A Las Vegas. Lind’s off-season training program, which consisted of yoga and flexibility and not added bulk through lifting weights, has him fitter and 10 pounds lighter and so far, free from the back issues that have plagued him the past few seasons. The jury is still out on whether he can hit well enough against left-handers to remain an everyday player. It is important that he is off to a good start and is in a good place mentally.

5. What kind of personality will the Jays have under Gibbons?

The Jays should be a freewheeling club offensively as they have contact, on-base guys at the top of the lineup in Jose Reyes and Melky Cabrera and big bashers such as Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion behind them. They also have a tremendous amount of speed topped by Reyes, Bonifacio and outfielder Rajai Davis. If those three are in the same lineup, it will be a treat to watch. Gibbons says his speedsters will have the green light but, on occasion, they will be asked to stay put and not open a base for the opposition to walk Bautista and Encarnacion. It will be an offence that should be fun to watch.

6. How important is it to develop team chemistry?

The Jays’ brass likes to talk about team chemistry and that is why they added a player such as backup third baseman Mark DeRosa to the mix. But as both DeRosa and Bautista will tell you, team chemistry will only take you so far. The best way to establish camaraderie is through winning as everybody gets along when a club is piling up the victories. Losing streaks are a different animal, but this team is so rich in quality starting pitching and has an explosive offence, so lengthy slumps are not forecast. Talent and health are far more important to the overall chemistry of a team. There are no cliques forming, however, and everybody appears to be getting along just fine.

7. How will Melky Cabrera respond?

The big question mark was how Cabrera would fare after missing the final 50 games of the Giants season and then the post-season. Then there was the issue of what kind of a player would he be now that he’s off the juice? So far, so good, as Cabrera is stinging the ball to all fields and is hitting .325 (13-for-40) with six doubles and 10 RBI. If he can maintain that pace over the regular season, the Jays will be dancing with glee. Cabrera will be hitting in front of the big boppers and it is important for him and leadoff hitter Reyes to get on base and set up Bautista and Encarnacion in fastball situations. So far, he’s looking good and during the season he will be aided by hitting half of his games inside Rogers Centre, where the ball carries and the artificial turf turns singles into doubles.

8. Who will be the backup catcher?

That issue will be settled this week as R.A. Dickey, upon his return from the World Baseball Classic, said he’d like to work with the player who will catch most of his games in his final two starts of the spring. It appears that individual will be 41-year-old Henry Blanco. All the starters have raved about Blanco’s work behind the plate in calling games and framing pitches. Gibbons, an ex-catcher, likes him as well. J.P. Arencibia should catch around 130 games, so they want their backup to be a quality catch-and-throw person. Young Josh Thole, 26, will be at triple-A Buffalo as insurance in case anything happens to either Arencibia or Blanco.

9. Will the real Ricky Romero please stand up?

Well, we’re still waiting. Romero has been underwhelming so far this spring — in four starts, he has a 7.27 ERA. In 8.2 innings, he has allowed 11 hits and, most disappointing of all, walked seven. Romero still seems to be plagued with confidence issues despite his assertion he has turned the page. The Jays, though, are sticking with Romero and have no plans of having him start the season at Buffalo to work out any issues. There is no member of the pitching staff that needs a positive start to the season more than Romero.

10. How do the Jays manage expectations?

While the fans back in Toronto are expecting nothing short of a World Series appearance, the players haven’t got caught up in the hype. They are all excited about the talent that GM Alex Anthopoulos brought on board in the off-season, but say that they have won nothing yet, that they still have to go out on the field and earn everything that they get. Their confidence is high, but they are well aware that a tough battle is in store for them.

TOUGH TO ASSESS TALENT

With a number of star players still missing from their teams due to the World Baseball Classic, the disparity in home and road lineups is startling.

As an example, the Yankees came to Dunedin last Thursday and, due to players missing because of the WBC as well as injuries, they fielded a team that had just three regulars: Brett Gardner, Kevin Youkilis and Travis Hafner.

On Friday, though, in the home park of the Tigers, the Jays faced Detroit’s probable opening day lineup, one that included their big boppers such as Torii Hunter, Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder and Victor Martinez.

The Jays team that travelled to Kissimmee on Sunday sported just three players who will likely open the season on their 25-man roster — Brandon Morrow, Rajai Davis and Brett Cecil.

The difference in the talent level that a team faces from day to day can make it difficult to evaluate talent.

“If it’s guys that are trying to make the team, you like them to see (face) the top players,” manager John Gibbons said. “Generally, what you’ll do, say it’s a reliever (that’s attempting to win a spot), you try to get him in the game early on before they take the regulars out.

“You like to see them against the best, but it’s hard to do sometimes. But it’s starting to get to the point in spring training where the regulars are going to start playing more. But it’s tough.

“What you do, say if it’s a pitcher, you just kind of look at what he’s doing with his pitches, not necessarily who he’s facing. Are his pitches crisp, sharp? Is he hitting his spots, that sort of thing. That kind of outweighs who he is facing.”

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What we know so far about the Blue Jays

At the start of spring training, we posed 10 questions concerning the Blue Jays. Now, with just two weeks remaining until opening day on April 2, we look at what we know so far.

1. The Bullpen

On the plus side, the Jays look like they will open the season with a legit closer: Sergio Santos. Last season, he made just six appearances due to shoulder inflammation. Despite a minor setback that held him back for two weeks, Santos is back throwing in games and appears to be fine. The same cannot be said for Casey Janssen. He has yet to appear in a spring game and will likely remain in Dunedin at extended spring training for at least the first two series and then join the Jays in Detroit.The remainder of the bullpen should consist of LHP Darren Oliver, RHP Steve Delabar, RHP Esmil Rogers, LHP Aaron Loup, RHP Jeremy Jeffress and LHP Brett Cecil.